Rough Nights
by QueenCheetah
Summary: Sure, Ryou Bakura can be a little clumsy. But his friends are starting to suspect that something else is causing these new, repeated injuries. Ryou is reluctant to explain, as sometimes the truth can be hard to believe. Meanwhile, the pale yami known as Bakura is unusually ill at ease... A short 'what-if' fic, Tendershipping if you squint.


"Yami?"

"Hmm?" The past pharaoh turned towards his lighter half. "Something troubling you, aibou?"

Yugi looked to one side. "It's probably nothing... but..." The teen paused before voicing his fears. "Have you noticed anything... different- about Ryou lately?"

"As a matter of fact, I have." The ancient ruler's eyes narrowed in thought. He knew exactly what his sympathetic partner was referring to.

The barely-hidden bruises.

The slow-healing scratches.

The clear exhaustion and dolefulness.

Over the past few weeks, all sorts of violent marks and signs had appeared on the pale hikari's body.

And both Yami and Yugi knew: they were all evidence that something wasn't right in Ryou Bakura's world.

True, their mild companion wasn't the type to complain loudly about things. And Ryou had been known on occasion to be a mite... clumsy. But these injuries were becoming far too frequent, and it worried the two star-haired duelists that their friend might be suffering in silence. They'd hoped that Ryou would feel comfortable coming to one of them if he ever needed help... but so far no one in their group had heard from the teen.

"You don't think..." Yugi trailed off sadly. He didn't need to say the rest- the once-leader knew what the other was asking. Though they had separate bodies, Yami and his previous 'host' still acted as though they shared one mind.

"It would not be the first instance in which the Thief King has harmed his hikari." Yami muttered grimly. "Perhaps we should confront him."

The shorter of the pair shook his head. "I think we should try and talk to Ryou first- that way we can get him out of harm's way, just in case..."

"Hm." The Ancient Egyptian nodded. "Yes, that would be better- but when could we speak with him without that damned tomb robber skulking nearby?"

The two duelists quickly outlined a plan to approach the ill-treated hikari.

Meanwhile, several blocks away, a similar meeting was about to take place just outside the Ishtar household.

Malik Ishtar was currently waiting on the front stoop of the modest home. He mindlessly tapped one finger against the concrete steps. His vivid, purple eyes were trained on the empty sidewalk. The blonde teen hissed in annoyance. _'It's been almost half an hour!'_

But he felt his boredom deflate as the white-haired thief finally came into view.

"Well, it's about time!" Malik stood up and folded his arms as Bakura made his way down the sidewalk. "You said you needed to talk about something, and then you make me wait for twenty freakin' minutes while you did- well, _obviously_ not your hair, but something!"

The ill-natured thief snarled in reply. "I had to make sure Ryou didn't notice me leaving! I didn't want him following me or asking questions!"

The former tomb keeper paused. It wasn't like the once-spirit to intentionally keep his hikari in the dark when he went to visit the Ishtar's. After all, they were all (for the most part) friends. Not to mention Bakura had been in a remarkably bad mood lately- the thief was constantly scowling and leering at everyone, as though they all had it out for him.

The blonde Egyptian felt his suspicions flare, but decided to worry later.

"So, what's so going on? You've been acting like a total *ss lately- did Ryou catch you stealing from the grocery store again?"

The ancient thief just growled impatiently. "I don't understand why the devil he would pay for something that I could just take! I've tried to explain that 'free' is _always_ better; and yet that foolish, naive little hikari _insists_ on returning anything I grab!" The white-haired fiend snorted. "But, no- that's not why I'm here. I'm here regarding something more serious."

Malik's deep-violet eyes widened. He had a horrible suspicion that Ryou had been hiding something from him and Marik, and it sounded like Bakura knew what.

"Ryou... Ryou keeps getting hurt, and I don't know how."

"Wait, what?!" Malik felt his jaw nearly drop as the oblivious yami continued talking. He'd noticed a few small marks on his friend's pallid skin, but he assumed they were just typical, every-day accidents... Ryou could be a bit klutzy, on occasion...

Bakura kept speaking, his tone growing grim. "I thought he was being bullied again, but I've followed him home several times, and I haven't seen anyone dare bother him-"

"Wait, wait, wait- you mean _**you're**_ not the one beating him up?!" Malik seemed thoroughly shocked by the revelation.

Bakura frowned and hissed at the blonde. "Are you as dull as that half-witted Pharaoh?! Why would I hurt my own host?! I stole his body countless times, and now I'm staying in his home!" The pale yami snorted as he remembered his 'debts.' "I may not be a saint, but I'm not going to beat the crap out of my _yadonushi_! What good would that do?!"

"You've hurt him before." Malik pointed out sternly.

Bakura's own tone grew dry. " _Yes_ , well; I suspect I'm not the _only_ yami who's harmed their light... but Ryou said that was 'all in the past' and that he was willing to look beyond that, if I only did the same..."

The blonde Egyptian was entirely flummoxed. Bakura sounded completely serious, and if he didn't know better, he'd say the thief also sounded... depressed. In fact, on second glance, the former spirit of the ring looked much more tired and uneasy than Malik first noticed. Even the thief's face was paler and gaunter than usual.

Malik blinked twice, then nodded solemnly. "I'll do it."

The last denizen of the Millennium Ring eyed the tomb keeper warily. "Do what?"

"I'll find out what Ryou's hiding. I'll ask him right now." The dark-skinned teen stood up and dusted off his outfit. "Marik won't be home for a while. So if you wait here, I'll have a good hour or two to speak to him alone."

"Hn." The Thief King only grunted his assent. The blonde had just started off down the sidewalk when he heard his name being called.

"Malik."

"Eh?"

Bakura mumbled a single word roughly under his breath. "...thanks."

The tomb keeper blinked in surprise, but only gave a single nod before resuming his path.

It didn't take the youngest Ishtar long to reach the Bakura household. Malik slowed his gait as he approached the front walk. He hoped Ryou would be more willing to talk- particularly without his yami around.

Bakura usually spent most of his days and nights in the Bakura household. The (semi) reformed Thief King was staying with his previous host until he was able to find 'other arrangements.' ...or so he said.

Personally, Malik didn't see what was holding him back- the rebellious outlaw knew more than enough about the modern world already. Bakura wasn't 'created' by a naive, isolated child- nor was he a completely ignorant dolt, like the Pharaoh.

No, if there was one yami who could survive without his light, it was Bakura. But his subtle reluctance on parting from said light baffled Malik to no end.

The bewildered Egyptian shook his head to clear his mind, and rang the doorbell.

 _ *****_ _ **ding-dong!***_

Ryou Bakura gasped in barely-hidden relief. _'Oh, thank heavens!'_ He quickly excused himself from his guests and ran to answer the door. However, his gratefulness for the distraction was soon deflated when he saw who was waiting on the front porch.

"M-Malik?" Ryou felt his voice tremble slightly. _'Oh, no...'_ The pale hikari had a sneaking suspicion that Malik was here for the same reason as his other guests.

"Hello Ryou! I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by for a chat!" Malik put on the same fake grin he'd used through most of Battle City.

Ryou wasn't fooled, but he let Malik in anyway. "Erm, alright- if you want to join us in the sitting room, Yugi and Yami are already here..."

Sure enough, the former Pharaoh and his hikari were both politely seated on the sofa, sipping on what appeared to be bottled sodas.

The tomb keeper wasted no time- he grabbed a sugary beverage of his own and plopped down onto the open recliner. He turned towards the shortest hikari and nodded.

"Hi, Yugi! So, how've you been?"

"Um, good?" Yugi seemed a little confused by Malik's sudden intrusion. "We were just talking with Ryou about his... mishaps."

"Yes, we've noticed a rather large increase in the number of 'misfortunes' he's been having lately." Yami spoke in a more firm manner. "We're just checking to see if we can help... 'minimize' these accidents- somehow."

The three wild-haired duelists stared at the hickory-eyed hikari.

Ryou squirmed uncomfortably. He was trying his best not to worry his friends, but at the same time he really wanted to keep this a secret...

But it was hard to hide anything when there were three pairs of very intense, purple eyes staring at him.

The mild teen finally looked downward in defeat. "It's... it's Bakura. He's been having... erm, 'night terrors'."

Malik tilted his head in confusion. "'Night terrors?'"

The slighter duelist nodded. "Without Zorc to quell his human emotions, he's finally experiencing all the pain and sadness that was blocked out for thousands of years." A sad smile formed on Ryou's face. "Ever since Kul Elna, Bakura's had horrible memories. But he didn't have to face them most of his life because Zorc was in control- and apparently demons don't really care about 'emotional healing' and all that." Several strands of pale hair fell over the teen's sympathetic eyes. "So now that he's a mortal again, he's been having very vivid flashbacks to that one night."

"That still doesn't justify him hitting you!" The blonde Egyptian frowned, his arms stubbornly folded.

"Yes, well; that's kind of the whole thing..." The pale hikari sighed. "He doesn't know."

"What?" Six purple-hued eyes blinked in disbelief.

"What do you mean, 'he doesn't know?'" Yugi inquired doubtfully, while Yami nodded in agreement.

"You're joking." Malik pointed to a set of particularly vivid marks on Ryou's silken skin. "How could he not know about this?!"

Ryou politely withdrew his wrist and continued his explanation. "He does it in his sleep- people who've experienced traumatic experiences sometimes develop 'night terrors.' Apparently it's much like having a panic attack- only you're still asleep."

"Wait, you two sleep in the same bed?!" Malik blurted out, while the other duelists' eyes widened in shock. "Whoa, I didn't realize you two were so-"

"NO!" Ryou's face flushed brilliantly and his voice rose an octave. " _No_ , he sleeps in the guest room; but he usually..." the nervous teen let his voice trail off. He didn't want to embarrass his yami by revealing his deepest secrets.

"...he usually...?" Yami prompted.

 _'Forgive me, Bakura.'_ Ryou held back another sigh. "-But he usually starts screaming in the middle of the night. So I have to run into the guest room to wake him up, and that's when he attacks me- he starts yelling in another language, and thrashes violently. The only way to stop him is to physically hold him until he breaks out it. Eventually he stops yelling and starts to drift off, and his body goes limp. It's happened a few times, and every time he just goes back to sleep..."

"And he's never even apologized?" Malik still soundly angry.

Ryou shook his head. "He doesn't _know,_ Malik. He's even been pestering me to tell him where the bruises are coming from." The tomb keeper looked skeptical, but the other duelist wasn't lying in the least. "I've done some research of my own- it's not uncommon for night terror sufferers to not remember the incidents- after all, they're not entirely conscious in the first place."

Yami's gaze turned sharp with insistence. "You need to tell the thief."

Once again, Ryou seemed to be struggling with himself. "But... it's not something he can help... and he'd probably be very embarrassed if he ever realized it..."

"Yeah, but he'll be even more upset if you keep getting hurt for no reason, right? I mean, you said he's already asked about the marks, so clearly he's worried." Yugi pointed out hopefully.

"..." The cocoa-eyed teen looked down at his folded hands.

Malik's patience finally broke, and he pointed directly at his injured friend's face. "Look, none of us want you to get hurt- Bakura included. So just tell him already, and we'll figure out a way to chain him to the bed or something! Ok?!"

Ryou gave a tired smile. "Alright. I'll have a chat with him when he gets home. Fair enough?"

The other duelists seemed satisfied with this answer, and the rest of the evening quickly evolved into one of their usual school-night movie fests.

Three hours (or what amounted to two bad sequels for Ryou's group) later, the front door opened and Bakura quietly made his way inside. He waited in the front hall, silently brooding as his hikari bid 'goodnight' to their friends.

Eventually, Malik left, giving Ryou a pointed look before following after Yugi and the Pharaoh.

Ryou was dreading the moment the door shut, but broke the silence as soon as he could.

"Bakura?"

"Hm?"

"I... um, think there's something I need to tell you. It's a-about the marks I've been getting... um, on my body."

Bakura only blinked, silently urging his hikari to continue.

"Um, they're still accidents, like I said... but, the truth is... someone else caused them."

Two crimson eyes narrowed in tense scrutiny. "Who?"

Ryou swallowed heavily and tried not to mumble his reply. "Er, you."

"..." The look on the thief's face was clear. The cynical yami obviously didn't believe his light.

The hikari braced himself for another long explanation. "You see... you've been doing it in your sleep. That's why you don't remember anything."

"..." The ancient outlaw only stared in confusion. "...what."

Ryou shook his head as he tried to make everything plain. "You've heard of people walking around and doing things while they're actually asleep, right? Well, it's related to those sleepwalking disorders..."

A short summary later, and Bakura realized that his hikari must be right. The timing, the type of injuries... it all fit.

 _H_ _e_ was the one who had been assaulting the poor teen.

"Dammit." The enraged thief cursed under his breath. "How the **** do I stop something I don't even know I'm doing!?"

Ryou gave his yami his kindest smile and shook his head. "I wouldn't worry too much- like I told Malik and Yami and Yugi, it's not something you're actively performing with intent, so if-"

"You told the damned Pharaoh and that ground-dwelling maniac?!"

Ryou couldn't resist lightly rolling his eyes- he was well used to Bakura's over-reactions by now, and knew how to handle them. "They were concerned, Bakura." The hikari hid a smile as he added, "Just like you."

The Thief King muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, 'was _not_ concerned;' but Ryou didn't take him seriously. But the next grumbled words from the thief's lips were harder to make out.

"...rry."

"Eh?"

"I'm... sorry." Bakura suddenly found that he didn't want to see his hikari's reaction, and he looked away in ill-disguised discomfort.

But Ryou only shook his head. "You don't need to apologize, Bakura- you didn't do anything wrong (well, not on purpose, anyway). But we _do_ need to find a solution." The slender teen held up his arm to show off the many bruises hidden under his sleeves. "I'm starting to look like I'm wearing the Dark Magician's armor!"

Bakura's face wrinkled in distaste. "Not a good look for you."

The hikari nodded in agreement. "Right." He opened the drawer of the hallway side-table and pulled out a series of printed web pages and hand-written notes. "Anyway, I've been doing some research on parasomnia sufferers, and I've come up with some ideas for 'treating' it."

"'Treating'?" The yami scowled. "I'm not sick. And I am NOT going to a doctor."

Ryou resisted rolling his eyes again. "It's a real disorder, Bakura, with real consequences- and no, we're not taking you to see a doctor." He shuffled the papers and began reading the top of one sheet. "So, apparently you're not supposed to try and wake the person, but just stay by them until they relax... Unfortunately, that's not really possible for us- the neighbors might start complaining about the screams... so I'm going to try and find some safer ways of waking you, like an alarm clock with 'gradual volume increase' and such."

Bakura was unusually attentive as the fair-skinned teen described what he'd learned.

"...different than nightmares, night terrors in adults are usually caused by some deep-seated trauma, often from childhood." Ryou paused, knowing that nothing more needed to be said on that matter. "Anyway, some of the other causes include fatigue, anxiety, and restlessness… so I think the simplest way to try and prevent your terrors is to get plenty of sleep and exercise, along with additional support. There are medications that can help, but most sources suggest waiting to see if things improve over the course of a few months."

The Thief King snorted- he still didn't trust modern medicines. Ryou had warned him early on how those strange 'pills' could do great harm. The colorful pellets looked innocent enough, but they could easily be turned into poisons just by taking the wrong ones or too many.

"So, if you get plenty of sleep, and maybe get outside a bit more, that should help. Otherwise, the only thing to do is figure out how to wake you up safely when you do have an... episode." The hikari's eyes latched onto the heedful yami. "Malik suggested throwing cold water on you, but I think it'd be better to use some sort of noise making device, like a radio. There's a clock-radio in my father's study- I think we should try that the next time you have a fit. Does that sound alright?"

Bakura nodded once. "Yes, that should be fine. No water." The thief's eyes suddenly gained that mischievous gleam. He gave a slightly devious smirk. "Hmm, still... I think perhaps it'd be more prudent if we started sleeping together."

"WHAT?!"

"Just in the same room, of course! Goodness, for a hikari you certainly have a dirty mind." The former spirit spoke in a mockingly pious voice.

It took a good ten minutes for the flush to wear off of Ryou's face, but both the pale-haired duelists felt much better after talking together. A few hours later, they'd finished their usual evening routine and were headed to their separate sleeping quarters. As Ryou said his usually cheerful, "Goodnight, Bakura!", the pale yami couldn't help but smile slightly.

'I don't wish to harm you, hikari. Never again.'

"Sleep well, Ryou."


End file.
